The Lockheed Martin-led industry team officially laid the keel for the
U.S. Navy’s eleventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS
Sioux City, in a ceremony held at Marinette Marine Corporation.

The industry team is building Freedom-class
LCSs for the U.S. Navy, and has delivered two ships with five
others under construction and one soon to begin construction. The nation’s
first LCS, USS Freedom, completed her deployment to Southeast Asia,
during which she participated in multiple international maritime exercises,
conducted patrols in the South China Sea and provided disaster relief
for Operation Damayan. As USS Freedom proved, the ship class is addressing
the Navy’s need for an affordable, highly-networked and modular
ship unlike any other in the world. The platform is designed and outfitted
with mission systems to conduct a variety of missions including anti-surface,
mine and submarine warfare. The next LCS to deploy will be the Freedom-class
USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) in 2014.

PEARL HARBOR
(Dec. 13, 2013) The littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) arrives
at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Freedom's first operational deployment,
a 9-month assignment forward-operating from Singapore, is the first
ever deployment for a Littoral Combat Ship and the proof-of-concept
deployment for the ship class. Freedom is scheduled to return to homeport
at San Diego later this month. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication
Specialist 3rd Class Johans Chavarro/Released)

“We are proud to provide our Sailors with a
proven warship that allows them to carry out their missions around the
world,” said Dale P. Bennett, executive vice president of Lockheed
Martin’s Mission Systems and Training business. “We are
working in partnership with the Navy as they build a fleet able to operate
forward, stand ready for any challenges, and serve our essential warfighting
requirements.”

In keeping with a time-honored tradition, ship sponsor Mrs. Mary
Winnefeld authenticated the keel block by having her initials welded.

“I'm both honored and delighted to be back in my home state
of Wisconsin as the sponsor of the future USS Sioux City,” said
Mrs. Winnefeld. “It's been a real privilege to meet the great
Americans who are building this versatile ship, and I thank them in
advance for their quality work. I look forward to meeting her crew
soon, being part of her family, and bringing our ship to life when
she's commissioned.”

The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes ship builder Marinette
Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, naval architect Gibbs &
Cox, as well as nearly 900 suppliers in 43 states, including approximately
30 small businesses in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Lay the keel is a shipbuilding term that marks the beginning of the
module erection process, which is a significant undertaking that signifies
the ship coming to life. Modern warships are now largely built in
a series of pre-fabricated, complete hull sections rather than a single
keel, so the actual start of the shipbuilding process is now considered
to be when the first sheet of steel is cut and is often marked with
a ceremonial event.